The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus, such as, a copier, a printer, a facsimile machine, or a multifunction peripheral equipped with these items, that employs an electrophotographic method and in particular, to an image carrier unit constituted of an image carrier and a charging device that electrically charges the image carrier, and an image forming apparatus including the same.
Conventionally, in image forming apparatuses using an electrophotography process, an electrostatic latent image is formed on an image carrier (a photosensitive drum) a surface of which is electrically charged uniformly, and a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image is formed on the image carrier by using a developing unit. Then, typically by using a transfer member such as a transfer roller that forms a transfer nip with the photosensitive drum, the toner image formed on the image carrier is transferred onto a sheet conveyed to the transfer nip, and thereafter, the toner image is fixed on the sheet by causing the sheet to pass through a fixing unit.
Such an image forming apparatus is provided with a charge elimination device for removing residual charge remaining on the image carrier in preparation for formation of a next electrostatic latent image after the toner image formed on the image carrier is transferred onto the sheet.
For example, there has been known an image forming apparatus including a transfer charging device that transfers developer supplied by a developing device to a photosensitive member onto a sheet and electrically charges the photosensitive member to an electric potential of a polarity opposite a polarity of an electric potential to which a charging device electrically charges the photosensitive member, and charge elimination means that irradiates the photosensitive member with light of a predetermined wavelength to thereby remove charge generated by the transfer charging device.